Autism and Autoimmune Disease

I recently met another mother, via Facebook, who has an autoimmune disorder and she has an Autistic son. I became curious, since I too have an autoimmune disorder and an Autistic child. I began researching a possible link between autoimmune disorders and Autism. What I found was incredibly interesting.

Medicine Net defines autoimmune disease as an "illness that occurs when the body tissues are attacked by its own immune system". Autoimmune disease is more frequent in women than men and this maybe linked to the role estrogen plays in the immune system. According to Women's Health approximately 23.5 million American's suffer from some type of autoimmune disease. Some examples of autoimmune diseases are lupus, thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, pulmonary fibrosis, etc. I have personally have psoriatic arthritis.

In 2013 a study of approximately 2,700 mothers and children was published in Molecular Psychiatry. It found that approximately one in ten women, who have a child with Autism, have immune molecules in their bloodstream that react with brain proteins. In animal studies, these researchers have found that prenatal exposure to specific types of immune molecules, antibodies, strongly contributes to altered social behavior. Antibodies help the immune system recognize and fight bacteria and viruses. Researchers believe these antibodies do not harm the mother's brain because she produces them and the brain filters most of these antibodies out. A fetal brain may not be able to filter these antibodies out effectively, thus, possibly causing damage in the form of Autism. This is likely to be evidence to support what scientists have long suspected, that women who have autoimmune disease are more likely to have children with Autism.

The brain filters antibodies through the blood brain barrier (BBB). This semi-permeable layer around the blood vessels in the skull and into the brain only allows certain cells into the brain. The BBB functions to protect the brain from "foreign substances", protects the brain from hormones and neurotransmitters and maintenance of a consistent brain environment. To learn more about the BBB please refer to Neuroscience For Kids or ABC Science.

So could it be possible that a portion of the Autism community is suffering from an inflammatory disease? The New York Times breached that very topic in their August 2012 article: An Immune Disorder at the Root of Autism. This article estimates that approximately one-third of the Autism community is suffering from an inflammation of the brain, stating that the immune system in an Autistic individual fails to turn off the fighting response antibodies regularly. They specifically cite a research study out of Denmark, stating that infection of the mother, with autoimmune disease, during pregnancy greatly increases the chances of Autism in their baby. The New York Times article estimates that the mother's diagnosis of RA increases their babies risk of ASD by approximately 80% and her diagnosis of celiac disease will increase the risk of ASD by 350%.

The 2009 study, published in Pediatrics, and sited by New York Times was conducted in Denmark. The researchers studied children born in Denmark from 1993-2004, which amounted to approximately 680,000 individuals. They then specifically focused on those children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The researchers then focused on the 26 different autoimmune disorders in the parents or unaffected siblings. What did they find? They found strong links between type 1 diabetes and ASD, as well as RA in mothers and ASD. They also found the first association between ASD and untreated celiac disease in mothers. This study specifically found that mothers played a significant role in the history of autoimmune disease and Autism, more than fathers. This leads researchers to the hypothesis that ASD risk is increased in the children of mothers with autoimmune disorder due to the conditions of the fetal environment.

This research is ongoing, but it is clear there are strong links to Autism and autoimmune disorders. This is in no way insinuating that autoimmune disorders are the only cause of Autism, but in some cases it could be. I think this link is very interesting and is something to be considered and discussed between women who wish to have children, also suffering from autoimmune disorder, and their treating physicians. I, in no way, am insinuating that these women should not have children. Children are an absolute blessing that should be enjoyed by everyone willing to undergo that path. What I am saying is this group of women should be educated in all the risk factors associated with their disease and pregnancy, to include the possibility of Autism.

If I had known my autoimmune disorder could contribute to Autism, would I still have carried a pregnancy? Absolutely. At the time of my pregnancy with Aiden and even with my daughter, Haley, I did not know I had psoriatic arthritis, but I had psoriasis for years. I, personally, from the time I was a little girl felt the strong desire to be a mother. I would have appreciated knowing the risk factors my psoriasis could have played on my child.

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